Route EX5H FULL
92 km for both runners and cyclists
start village Vojtanov
destination peak Lesný
Trať EX5H HALF
45 km for both runners and cyclists
start village Vojtanov
cíl vrchol Zelená hora Bismarck
Route plan
The race starts at the Vojtanov municipal office. The track runs along an asphalt road, where after about 300 meters you turn left and by running under the main road you get on a dirt road that leads to the state border. After less than a kilometre you turn right and enter German territory. Continue towards the village of Schönberg. You are heading for the first peak and the first checkpoint, which is the viewpoint on the Kapellenberg 757 m above sea level.
You then run down the forest road towards Bärendorf. An asphalt road leads to the village. In Bärendorf, turn left at the first crossroads and follow the yellow trail along the dirt road towards the source of the Bílý Halštrov stream. Turn right at the fork below the spring. The following section leads to the village of Horní Paseky.
From Horní Paseky you will follow the forest path to Dolní Paseky, where the asphalt road turns into a dirt road at the crossroads. There is a long climb up a dirt road and then a forest road over downhill tracks in the vicinity of the Háj u Aše lookout tower. You reach the top of Háj 765 m above sea level, checkpoint number two.
From the lookout tower there is a run down towards the town of Aš, where the course through the arcade near the town museum is worth attention. The town of Aš can be reached by a short run along the red trail leading past the railway line. Then you cross the main road to Selb and then an endless run through the Boar Valley towards the Green Mountain with the Bismarck Lookout Tower.
Checkpoint number three on Zelená hora is located at an altitude of 637 m above sea level. From Zelená hora there is a partially asphalted road, which after a few kilometres connects to the former border trail, which will accompany you to the foot of the fourth checkpoint Dyleň 940 m above sea level.
From Dylene, a broken forest-type road leads to the eastern part of Dylene - towards the village of Háj. You then cross the road to the village of Vysoká and continue towards the village of Stará voda. Here you cross the main road leading to Mariánské Lázně. You will then continue along the asphalt road towards Lázně Kynžvart. Following the marked hiking trail, you will reach the finish line of the race at the top of Lesný 983 m above sea level.
Kapellenberg lookout tower
Kapellenberg lookout tower was built by the builder Ernst Schüller according to a design by the architect Gustav Zimmermann. After the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the tower was closed to visitors. First because of a Soviet radar station, later because of its alleged state of disrepair. It was removed by the East German authorities on 7 November 1982. It was rebuilt according to the original construction plans. It reopened to visitors on 19 June 1993. On the top there is a triangulation stone from 1864.
Lookout tower on Háj Hill
Lookout tower on Háj Hill, one of our most massive lookout structures, is the westernmost lookout tower in the Czech Republic. Háj Peak, the highest peak in the Czech part of Smrčin, is located a short distance from Aš.
The majestic 34-metre high tower was built in 1902-1904 according to the design of architect Wilhelm Kreis. The building was named after the Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, whose name it bore until 1918, and Bismarck's bronze relief on the tower lasted until 1946. From the four floors of the tower, where 122 steps lead up to it, you can also see the beauty of the Karlovy Vary region and the adjacent part of Germany - the Krušné hory with Klínovec, the Doupovské hory, the Český les, Kapellenberg with its lookout tower, Zelená hora with its TV tower, Dyleň with its tower, the Slavkovský les and the German Smrčiny with the Schneeberg mountain.
Bismarck tower on the Green Hill
Bismarck tower on the Green Hill was built in 1909 on the site of the original wooden lookout tower, which stood here from 1891 to 1909. Between 1914 and 1915, two buildings were erected by the Horní Pelhřimov municipality and the fringe association, one of which served as an inn.
The lookout tower is named after the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. At that time, two hundred similar Bismarck towers, columns and mounds were built in the German-speaking part of Europe and also in South America. Three so-called Bismarck towers stand on Czech territory. The first is the Bismarck tower on Zelená hora. The second is the Háj tower on the hill of the same name (758 m) near Aš, and the third stands on the top of Tanečnice (598 m) in the Šluknov Hills near Mikulášovice.
The material for its construction was stone. During the Iron Curtain, the lookout tower was located in the forbidden border zone, became a lookout point for border guards and was therefore forgotten. In 1973, a new television transmitter was built near the tower. Since 2004 it has been owned by the town of Cheb and a year later it underwent a two-million-dollar reconstruction.
Apart from the bust of Bismarck, which left an empty space above the entrance, the building was supplemented with Old Germanic symbols. The entrance door and the door to the balcony are decorated with massive swords. On the main door there is a round shield between the swords, with a six-pointed star in the centre. This symbolises the universe in Germanic mythology. Above the entrance is the emblem of the town of Cheb. On the walls of the staircase there are 43 granite slabs with runic inscriptions carved into them. The runic inscriptions add to the mystery of the tower. However, they do not contain any mystical messages, but, for example, dedications of Cheb butchers or glorify Bismarck and the anti-Slavic and anti-Semitic nationalist Schönerer.
Tower on Dyleň
Tower on Dyleň is one of our most spectacular lookout towers. It was built during the deep socialism and served (like other towers in the Bohemian Forest and Sumava) for "radio-electronic warfare". After 1989, it lost its original significance and became the property of private owners. Already then it became clear to lookout enthusiasts that the tower must have an amazing view, because Dyleň is visible from almost every vantage point in the Karlovy Vary Region. Nevertheless, the whole building remained closed to the public for a long time. It was not until the late 1990s that the owner heard the call and opened the gallery to tourists during the traditional bicycle race to Dyleň. Thus, the former military tower became a lookout tower, which was a real gem to visit, because the view from it was one of the most beautiful in the whole Czech Republic. This state of affairs lasted until 2003, when the owner of the site had the broadcasting units of Radio Egrensis and other entities installed on the gallery. This step became an excuse for closing the tower and since then tourists have been practically chased out of Dylene very often with the help of dogs. The only ascent since then was made in 2009 by members of the Friends of Lookout Towers Club, who were exceptionally allowed by the owner to see the tower. Hopefully, a similar opportunity will soon be repeated and the unrepeatable view from Dylene will be made available to other enthusiasts.
View: north side - Slavkovský les, Sokolovská basin, western ridge of Krušné hory with Klínovec, Smrčiny with Zelená hora and Háj, east side - Slavkovský les, Tepelská vrchovina, south side - border belt of Český les and Šumava, exceptionally Alps, west side - belt of Smrčiny with Schneeberg mountain and its foothills
Lesny
Lesny is the highest mountain of the Slavkov Forest. It is located in the Kynžvartská vrchovina district and is also the highest point in the Cheb district. It lies near Lazy, a local part of the village of Lázně Kynžvart. Its altitude is 983 metres.
Earlier names of the mountain are Špičák and Judenhau, the name Lesný was introduced in 1946. The peaks are among the places with the lowest average annual temperature in the Slavkovský les, around 5 °C, and the highest annual rainfall - more than 900 mm.
A wide passage leads to the top, mostly through a spruce forest. The border of the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area also passes through the peak. There used to be a wooden military observation post on the top, which was demolished and removed in the 1980s. The view from the top is only to the south and west due to forestation. The view is only of the Dyleň hill in the Bohemian Forest and a small part of Smrčin.
Approximately 1 km long access route to the top leads from the road Lazy - Lázně Kynžvart along the blue hiking trail from Vysoké sedlo. There is a wooden resting gazebo on a small meadow near the summit.
